Embrace
by InkyTentacleBeasty
Summary: Giroro felt cold. (This was a quick little one-shot! Mainly to help me practice up of simply describing stuff... Maybe I did fine? The idea just came to me and I thought it was cute...)


Giroro felt cold.

No big surprise there really. As Keronians, much like Pekoponian frogs were _**cold-blooded**_. So, he made no attempt to move or open his eyes. He just felt _too tired_. Instead he opted to just drift off, hoping for a deep sleep.

Shame his whole body **ached **horribly. Bruised and beaten, like he'd been in some arduous fight for **hours**. He had to begrudgingly settle for the limbo between dreamland and the waking world. Just barely hanging on to any kind of consciousness, if he wanted some kind of a nap.

But, then he felt something _**warm**_ press into both his sides. It was light and pleasant. Heat seeping into the soldier's skin, enveloping him.

Carefully, they shifted slightly to lift him up. One source moving to his back, while the other rested comfortably behind his head. It felt so soft and smooth as it lightly caressed him.

He was then pressed into something more uneven and curvy, but soft and pillowy… _Even_ _**warmer**_. The odd curvature of the mysterious entity he was against was just heavenly. It even seemed to rise and fall slightly in a calm, and rhythmic sway. He could even feel something lightly pounding against his head, with the droning sound of a _heartbeat_ echoing beside him.

_It was all like some sort of sweet lullaby. _

While this thought would normally put the Corporal's over indulged pride on the line, _being practically coddled by some weird and almost loving entity_. He oddly didn't seem to mind or even be phased in the least at the idea.

_But, he was a __**soldier**_ _for Pete's sake! He shouldn't just let this be happening to him! He was not some stupid __**infant!**_

Then again, he wasn't exactly in the mood to care. He was too tired to really protest much even if he wanted too. And it didn't help this mysterious entity held some odd familiarity to it… Everything about it felt recognizable. But for the life of him, his fatigued mind just couldn't place _**where**_.

Maybe it was the _rich _and almost welcoming aroma emanating from it. Briefly reminding him of cooking by the fire-pit in the backyard where he camped out. It was just all the more inviting for the small frog.

Suddenly, it _vibrated _beneath him as it continued it's calming rising and falling. Almost as if speaking to him. _It was just so soothing…_ He could almost grasp sleep now at this rate. His breathing slowly growing more steady.

It softly vibrated some more as he neared closer to his desired hibernation. And he just felt too compelled to try and feel it _closer_. Softly nuzzling into the crook of the smooth curve, where his face lay comfortably.

But unfortunately for him, all movement stopped suddenly. The soldier couldn't help but wake up a little from it. Disappointed when it had ceased its sweet technique. It vibrated again, but _**much **_weaker this time. Almost a whisper.

Wait, no. He could _**hear **_something whispering. And he could just barely make out the exact words.

"_H-he...J-just…**Nuzzled**...me…_" It softly whimpered.

And to that, a chorus of rather annoying echoes filled his ears. Sounding almost like… _**Laughter**_. They were recognizable too, but NOT in the pleasant way that the entity was, which was still holding him, _**thank GOD.**_ But, just _barely _re-started it's work in putting him back to sleep. Which only further irritated him.

And now that he was slowly coming back to consciousness again, another voice could be heard. A more clear and… **Unpleasant **voice. "_Who knew our dear Corporal was a **snugglebug?**_" It mocked.

_**That voice…**_ God, he hated that green idiot.

Instinctively, his pride demanding that he retaliate at that insult, he snapped back. Even though his barley conscious mind still could not grasp completely what that little twit thought was _**so funny**_. _He just wanted to nap dammit!_

"**Keep it... DOWN, you idiot.**_" _He growled, trying to bury his face deeper into the curve it was comfortably nestled in. Attempting and utterly failing to block out the now _cooing _sergeant.

But, then everything had paused **AGAIN!** How was he going to retrieve his much needed hibernation now!? Although… It did start feeling a little warmer around him weirdly enough… Almost like he was laying on a heated bed now…

He only truly pieced it together, when the aggravating toad spoke again. _**Teasing him**_.

"Oh, heh... Sorry, didn't mean to bother your cuddle session with _**Natsumi**_…My bad!"

'_**Wait… WHO!?' **_His eyes shot open. And found himself staring into the pale soft _**neck **_of something… _Someone_. He immediately removed his face from the curve to dare look up. Praying to whatever god that would listen, that it WASN'T what that mischievous bastard claimed it to be!

_Oh, if only he were so lucky… _His eyes met with the gaping amber ones that were fixed in a dead stare. It was Natsumi. And she was _completely red_ in the face, which was contorted into a horrified look of surprise and was only staring out into the distance behind him, as opposed to himself.

And to _**THAT,**_ he yelped. Jerking away from her and fell onto the ground. His pained legs almost instantly complained, but he put up with it. His head darting in all other directions other than the flushed woman, who remained as still as a rock and her features unchanging. Completely disconnected from all reality.

The soldier appeared to have been in quite the fight in the now torn to hell and back woods. Trees broken and toppled over in the hundreds, bodies of insect-like enemies littering the ground in large bloody bits, and the ground itself having been scraped and kicked up.

Giroro finally worked up the courage to look back at Natsumi, who was currently geared up in her battle armor. Which was slightly chipped and dirtied from what he could guess from said fight. Now if you asked him what the fight was over, he'd be hard pressed to give you a confident answer… 'cause he had been kicked in the skull too many times to recall much.

Another chorus of obnoxious laughter had re-started. One which made Giroro's head turn to the deafening sound, only to see the group of Keronian and Pekoponian alike chuckling loudly at both their embarrassment. They all looked to have been roughed up themselves as well, sporting similar scratches and bruises that speckled their collective skins.

It was the only thing that really saved them all from being beaten to a bloody pulp by the now _**very **_aggravated Corporal. He saw no real need to actually injure them further. Besides his own body still whined and complained loudly... Clearly in no shape to cause any _**real** _damage to anyone...

He looked back to Natsumi, as some weak attempt to ignore their amused guffaws. She appeared to have momentarily snapped out of her own stupor to stare back at the Corporal as well. Her confused eyes piercing into him like a well sharpened dagger. Seeming to ponder; _**Did that really just happen?**_

Keronians, much like Pekoponian frogs were cold-blooded. Meaning they had to acquire heat from the environment around them to regulate their body's temperature. _So why is it that Giroro's face felt like it was on fire?_


End file.
